The Time Stop
by redlittlebluebird
Summary: Why is Danny acting weird? What is he going to do? Read this story and find out. Short summary as to not give spoilers. ON HOLD FOR TEMPORAIALLY LOST INSPIRATION!
1. Chapter 1

I do not claim ownership of the cartoon Danny Phantom. Get your facts straight here people.

* * *

The Time Stop:  
Chapter One:

Danny Fenton was walking down the street with his two best friends, Sam and Tucker. They were on their way to Sam's house because they had just gotten out of school and it was a Friday. Fridays were their movie marathon nights. Starting as soon as they got their, the teens were planning on trying to watch all eight of the Happy Potter movies in order from start to finish.

"This is going to be so GREAT!" Sam exclaimed.

"Wow Sam. Didn't know you into something so mainstream." Tucker commented on her enthusiasm.

"It's all about evil witches and wizards trying to take over the world." Sam retorted. "How can any self-respecting Goth NOT love it?"

Tucker and Sam continued to argue over trivial things the rest of the way there while Danny was walking along deep in though about something.

"Hey Danny," Sam said. "You okay there? You seem kinda spacy today."

"Yeah dude," Tucker added. "You've been acting all weird for the past week or so actually."

The two teens stopped walking and waited for their friend to answer their questions. Danny just sighed and said he was fine. Although not convinced, they let the issue drop. When Danny wanted to talk, he'd come to them.

They started walking again and soon reached Sam's house. The trio made their way downstairs into the home theater and Sam started the first movie as Tucker got them all so popcorn from the counter.

The title screen appeared and not even a minute later, Danny's ghost sense went off.

"Great." Danny said sarcastically. "Absolutely wonderful! I'll be right back guys."

With that, Danny turned into his alter ego, Danny Phantom, and flew off through the roof to go and find the ghost that had caused the latest disturbance.

He was flying around for not even two minutes before he found the culprit.

"BEWARE! For I am the BOOOOOX GHOST!"

Danny flew up to meet the cardboard obsessed ghost and shot a well aimed ghost ray at his back.

"HEY! What was that for!?" The box ghost yelled. He turned around and his eyes widened as he saw Danny floating their not five feet from him.

"Uh...I the BOOOX GHOST was just... uh... leaving to create DOOOOOM elsewhere...?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "Uh.. BEWARE!"

The Box Ghost tried to fly off but Danny quickly opened the thermos and trapped him before he could get too far away. The ghost screamed as he was sucked into the cramped device and Danny popped the lid back on and sighed.

You see, Danny hadn't really been feeling like himself lately. Ghost hunting was becoming easier now as he could easily defeat all his enemies, school was going okay and he was passing all his classes with a B average, but something was missing.

Danny flew home and plopped down on his bed as he transformed. He didn't even feel up to heading back to Sam's to finish move night. What was wrong with him?

A few months ago, Danny would have loved nothing more than to be able to spend some quality time with his best friends, but now? All Danny wanted to do right then was lay on his back and stare at his ceiling.

Danny had lived in Amity Park for all of his life, but now, Amity didn't feel like home. He couldn't explain it, he just didn't feel like he was where he belonged here.

Danny stared at the ceiling for hours pondering over his thoughts and his feelings. His phone rang several times, most likely Sam and Tucker trying to find out where he was, but after the third call, he turned his phone off and threw in on his desk.

Danny just needed time to himself to think.

And time did go by. He spent the entire evening just laying there, not moving a muscle.

By the time Danny did decide to sit up and come out of his thoughts, the clock on his bedside table blinked the numbers 9:44 at him.

He stood up from his bed and with a firm decision in mind, he made a choice. A choice he didn't ever think he would have to make. A choice that would change his entire life. A choice that would most certainly shock a lot of people.

But his mind was made up. He was going to do it. He NEEDED to do it. It was the only way.

Danny Fenton was about to run away.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. It just popped into my head today and I decided to start writing it. We'll see where it goes from here. I will probably not be updating this on a set schedule, but keep an eye out for at least another chapter or two by the end of the month.

This chapter was posted: 9/17/2013

~Red


	2. Chapter 2

I do not claim ownership of the carton Danny Phantom. Get your facts straight here people.

* * *

The Time Stop:  
Chapter Two:

Danny walked over to his desk and got out a pen and a piece of paper. He quickly jotted down a small note before folding it and placing it on his bed.

Danny then went over to his closet. He grabbed the small duffle bag from the top shelf and stuff a few pairs of clothing into the bag.

He the opened the bottom drawer from his dresser and retrieved a manila envelope that was taped to the back corner underneath his clothes. He stuffed it into his duffle and move to the other side of his room to look under the bed.

After a few minutes, Danny had found two Fenton Thermoses, three pairs of Fenton Phones, a few other various Fenton items that he then added to his bag.

He then grabbed his wallet from his bedside table and added the small object to his collection.

When Danny was satisfied, he looked around the room once more to make sure he had grabbed everything he would need before phasing down into the basement.

The Fenton Portal. If Danny was leaving, he wouldn't be able to stop all the ghosts. He walked up to the control panel and very similarly to when the GIW took over Fentonworks, he entered a passcode that locked the portal up tight.

Back then, Danny had been stupid in his choice of a password. This time, he chose a password nobody would ever be able to guess.

DANI IS DANNYS CLONE.

He was originally thinking that maybe he should use: DANNY FENTON IS DANNY PHANTOM, but Sam or Tucker might have been able to figure that out. Danny never did tell them though, that Dani was actually his clone.

Danny then proceeded to go over a checklist in his head:

Thermos? Check.

Wallet and money? Check.

Clothes? Check.

Various ghost hunting equipment? Check.

Letter written? Check.

Portal locked? Check.

Everything was done. He was ready to take off and leave Amity Park. And that's just what he did.

Danny transformed into his Phantom and with his duffle bag in tow, he took off into the night. Not once did he look back.

* * *

The next day, Jazz was downstairs eating breakfast with her parents.

Maddie was attempting to cook, Jack was trying to fix a new invention he was making, and Jazz was reading a book.

"Jazz," Maddie said. "Be a dear and go get your brother for breakfast, will you?"

"Sure Mom." Jazz replied. The red head then proceeded to walk up the stairs to Danny's room, definitely not prepared for what she would find when she got there.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter will follow Danny on the start of his journey and will reveal the contents of the letter he wrote before he left. Sorry it's short but another chapter will be coming your way soon. Most likely before the end of the month.

This chapter was posted: 9/20/2013

~Red


	3. Chapter 3

I do not claim ownership of the cartoon Danny Phantom. Get your facts straight here people.

* * *

The Time Stop:  
Chapter Three:

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons  
Finally content with a past I regret  
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness  
For once I'm at peace with myself

Danny had spent the past three years fighting ghosts as Danny Phantom. He had grown stronger than all of them and none of them posed a threat to him anymore. However, Danny had trouble for a long time and he lost the last few years of childhood earlier than he should have. He was forced to grow up and missed out on a lot of normal teenager stuff.

Some of the battles he faced were so devastating. At those weakest moments, he somehow found the hidden strength he needed to become victorious. His strength came from developing new powers most of the time, but it also came from the encouragements from his friends.

But now he was leaving it all behind. No more fighting ghosts. No more near deathly battles. He was on his way to somewhere he could have peace away from all those hardships he had been forced to face the last few years.

I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long  
I'm movin' on

No more being blamed in ghost form for things that weren't his fault. He didn't kidnap the mayor. He didn't steal from those stores willingly. When he left, he would be leaving behind all the wild accusations about his ghost half. He would no longer have to listen to people complain about him or the destruction some of his battles caused to the city. He could finally flee from all of it.

I've lived in this place and I know all the faces  
Each one is different but they're always the same

He had lived in the small city of Amity Park his entire life. Everyone knew him. In human form, all they see is the weird Fenton kid whose parents are a joke. In ghost form he is either seen as a hero to the town, or as someone always out to cause destruction.

They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it  
They'll never allow me to change

Sam, Jazz, and Tucker are the only ones who know the truth. They love helping Danny fight ghosts and the smiles on their faces when they help capture a ghost are always so bright. They would harp on him so bad if he ever said he wanted to stop being the hero. They didn't want him to change what he did because they enjoyed it. Or at least they enjoyed it when Danny let them hang around during his battles.

The truth is, they were never there when a really dangerous battle was happening. They weren't out there all hours of the night or constantly leaving in the middle of class to catch ghosts. Danny did all the harder stuff. The others wouldn't be able to deal with it if they were also on ghost duty 24/7. They only enjoyed it because they didn't feel pain and exhaustion to the full extent that Danny did.

But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong  
I'm movin' on

With everything going on, Danny's home was starting to feel less comfortable and safe. Danny was never safe in Amity Park. Ghosts were always out to get him, no matter where he was. Home didn't exist for Danny anymore. He almost never had time to even be in his own house. He was always busy and almost never got a break.

A home is where you can relax and enjoy yourself. It's where you feel safe. It's where you can be the most comfortable and just be yourself.

Danny no longer had a home. His sense of 'home' was taken from him once he became a halfa. His former 'home' became just the house that was listed as his address. He didn't belong there. He wasn't safe there. He wasn't comfortable. It wasn't home.

I'm movin' on  
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me  
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone

That was why Danny left. Flying now through the sky and the clouds he felt like he belonged. He was headed towards his new life. His new future. He didn't know where he was going or what to expect, but flying to find it just felt right. He might physically be alone, but feeling the wind around him as he travelled through the sky brought him peace. He might not have another person beside him, but he knew he had Clockwork looking after him.

Danny would be alright. If there was one thing Clockwork taught him, it was that he was never alone. Clockwork was his guardian and would always be watching over Danny.

There comes a time in everyone's life  
When all you can see are the years passing by  
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

Danny's life had hit a standstill the past few years. His friends and his peers were all making their way slowly through their high school careers and their lives and Danny was stuck doing the same thing everyday. Ghost fighting never gave him time to grow at the same pace as those around him.

Danny didn't want ghost fighting to be all he did the rest of his life. Leaving Amity, Danny could take the time to find a purpose in life that he could truly enjoy. He wasn't going to let the years fly by being forced to get hurt everyday fighting ghosts.

I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't  
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town

Danny carried his duffle bag of belongings as he flew. He had nothing else in the world now. They were the only things that were his now. He had stopped at the local drug store on his way out of town and bought some food and water bottles to help last him a few days and took off.

Danny stuffed everything in the duffle and sighed as he realized that everything he currently could say he owned was only just enough to fill the bag. Nothing he left at Fentonworks was his anymore. He wasn't planning on going back anytime soon, so the only things he really truly owned where the items in his duffle as he flew across the states of America.

I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't  
I had to lose everything to find out

Danny loved his parents. He loved his sister. He loved his friends. He should have spent more time with them though. He regrets that he was forced to give up that time to fight ghosts. He didn't want it to be that way, but that was just how it was.

Danny had lost a lot more than anyone had realized. He lost some of the most important things a person can have. Probably the most important thing he lost, he lost his innocence. He had seen the world for what it was and it was horrible. And that was something that can never be forgotten. He could never unsee all those horrible things, and he could never get his innocence back.

Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road  
I'm movin' on

Danny knew that his friends and family would be hurt by him leaving, but he had to do what was right for him. He only hoped that they could forgive him, try to understand that this was what he needed most.

If Danny ever did return to Amity Park, he could only hope that he would be forgiven. For now though, Danny had a new life to live. And he was on his way to find it.

I'm movin' on  
I'm movin' on

* * *

Hope you enjoyed. I decided to make this a song-fic chapter because I just felt this song fit really well with what Danny is feeling and going through in this story. Sorry I lied about sharing the contents of Danny's letter this chapter. I'll be sure to include it in the next chapter which by the way will not be another song-fic chapter. Keep an eye out during the first week of October for the next installment.

This chapter was posted: 9/24/2013

~Red

(The song used in this chapter is called, "I'm Movin' On" and is property of the band Rascal Flatts.)

{Special thanks go out to: Stewiacker for being the first reviewer for this story.}


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